Why you Need a Why!

As people, we’re naturally resistant to transformation, preferring to keep ourselves on a steady, even footing. So, it’s easy to understand how this attitude can transfer to business.

The problem, of course, is that business change is frequent and inevitable. Not only that, it’s necessary, as it helps us to learn and grow.

It may seem obvious to point out that if we don’t move with the times, we’ll get left behind. Yet many businesses fail to master the art of change management, the very thing that will ensure the achievement of any transformation project.

Ignoring the process required to help your teams to accept and engage with your new vision could mean the difference between success and failure of your growth plan.

Luckily, mastering the art of change management isn’t as difficult as it sounds. It begins and ends with your business ‘why’.

The importance of ‘why’

As a business owner, you will already know what you do, and how you do it. But have you really investigated and communicated why you do it?

It may be a classic childhood question, but it will help you properly navigate business change, ensuring you are able to weather the storms of transformation whilst engaging your whole team in the process.

The reason is simple. Understanding your business ‘why’ helps everybody stay committed and driven to your vision, and to your growth plan.

Fundamentally, your ‘why’ is the reason your business exists, and it should blend with your core principles in a way that’s easy for everybody to understand.

For example, if you started a business that creates products from allnatural ingredients that don’t harm the environment, your growth plan should account for any necessary changes to production as you scale up – without compromising on those ethical values.

Your ‘why’ is the key to inspiring and motivating your team, because it’s what will keep everybody going when things get tough. It will shape the actions of your organisation, underpinning all of the decisions you make.

A properly communicated ‘why’ will also do the vital job of inspiring your customers…because who wouldn’t want to support a driven and professional company in which everybody not only works to high standards, but clearly loves what they do?

Developing resilience through your business ‘why’

We know that, in order for a business to grow, changes must be made to its culture, its specific ways of working, its customer interactions (sometimes, even to its customer base), and its structure.

This is no easy task, particularly when you’ve spent years building your business using tried-and-tested methods that have already proved to be effective. For this reason, many business owners shy away from enacting major transformations themselves – even if doing so will potentially lead them to better growth and success.

By contrast, business owners who understand their ‘why’ can be strong and resilient in the face of even the most disruptive, unpredictable forms of change.

This is because they use their ‘why’ to help them visualise exactly what future success will look like, then set flexible objectives and goals that ensure they can achieve it.

Think of these objectives and goals as forming a clear roadmap to success.

Managing business change: the next steps

As we’ve already touched upon, it isn’t enough for you to understand your business ‘why’. Your team must also understand it. (Keep in mind that a business leader who is engaged and enthusiastic about everything their company stands for is extremely motivating in itself!)

Your business planning process must therefore account for crystal-clear communication from the top down, as well as anticipating any external forces that could affect your progress, such as a competitor launching a similar product or service to yours.

Using your ‘why’ as the foundation, you can ensure all the elements of your brand, from the performance of your product, to the greeting your receptionist uses, can come together to form your own unique standards of excellence.

These standards will help to uphold and grow your reputation – so you are able to consistently outperform your competition – as well as instilling an authentic sense of quality into your company’s culture.

Executed effectively, the ‘why’ approach will ensure your company is not only able to withstand change but is able to proactively embrace it!

Diane Birch, Executive Director of BITA and Founder of Vantage